Presenting NZ’s best new furniture in our annual Design Awards

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Every year we’re delighted to showcase New Zealand’s best new furniture and lighting in our annual Design Awards – and this year, we’re delighted to present the finalists and winner to you in conjunction with our new Design Awards partners, Fisher & Paykel.

From left: Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects; Nathan Goldsworthy of Goldsworthy; Tim Webber of Tim Webber Design; Simon James of Resident; Nigel Groom and Emma Fox-Derwin of Well-Groomed Fox; and Timothy John of Timothy John Design. Photographed by Toaki Okano at Auckland’s White Studios on May 7.

And now to the objects in our competition. The winner of the 2014 Design Awards is Cheshire Architects for the ‘Parison’ pendant for Resident (below), an elegant mix of the hand-made and the digital (it’s made when a bubble of layered molten glass is mouth-blown into a computer-cut mould of water-soaked cherrywood). The pendant has already debuted at the Milan furniture fair as part of the Resident collection, and we’re delighted to feature it here.

The ‘Parison’ pendant by Cheshire Architects. Photograph by Toaki Okano.

And here are our other finalists, in no particular order: first, the ‘Pi’ table (below) by Paris-based designer Roderick Fry, an ingeniously simple trestle leg system that flat-packs for shipping but holds a range of table tops with perfect stability.

The ‘Pi’ table by Roderick Fry for Moaroom. Photograph by Toaki Okano. Pottery by Martin Poppelwell from Melanie Roger Gallery.

Nathan Goldsworthy’s beautiful ‘Ballet’ chairs and ‘Ballerina’ tables (below) were produced as part of a collaboration with Backhouse Interiors and Designworks. The chairs and table are crafted from laminated ash, and the chairs are upholstered in wool.

Emma Fox-Derwin and Nigel Groom of Wellington’s Well-Groomed Fox created the handsome ‘Notch’ pendant lights (below), which have a raw, matte depth thanks to their colour being part of the ceramic rather than a glaze applied later.

‘Notch’ pendants by Well-Groomed Fox. Photograph by Toaki Okano.

Designer Timothy John created the ‘Handmade’ range (below) – which includes the ‘Bowler’ light, ‘Splay’ table and ‘Nordic’ chair – for Paper Plane, the design store he co-owns in Mount Maunganui. All the designs are hand-crafted by Nigel Cotterill. The chair and light are made from solid American ash, and the table is available in ash or laminate versions.

Last but certainly not least is Simon James’ ‘Pick Up Sticks’ chair for Resident, with a solid oak frame and detachable, wool-upholstered component, allowing retailers to stock the frames and the wool seats to be made to order.

‘Pick Up Sticks’ chair by Simon James for Resident. Photograph by Toaki Okano.

A huge thank you from us to all the designers who entered, and congratulations to the team at Cheshire Architects and the other finalists. We’re also delighted at the support Fisher & Paykel are giving to New Zealand design by supporting our awards programme.

A big shout-out also to photographer Toaki Okano, and stylists Kendyl Middelbeek and Samantha Totty.